These Are The Overpriced Restaurant Foods You Should Skip

As a relative newcomer to New York, it boggles my mind how much
cash folks will drop on restaurant fare that I could whip up at
home, in my PJ's, for a fraction of the cost.

Last week, I wound up shelling out $9 for a grilled cheese
sandwich (a grilled cheese!) at a cafe near my apartment when the
hostess wouldn't stop harassing me to order something other than
a cup of coffee. As I fished the cash out of my wallet, I could
practically hear my father —a penny-pinching caterer in Atlanta,
Ga. — laughing in my face.

The fact is that if you're going to get all dolled up and go out
for a meal, you're better off paying more for something you
wouldn't be able to make yourself than going for cheaper options.

Yes, the $15 truffle mac 'n cheese I had salivated over balked at
on the menu at that cafe cost one-third more than the sandwich,
but truffle oil is expensive and not something I'm likely to have
floating around my kitchen cupboard. It would have been worth the
added cost to pay more for something I didn't already own.

You know...hindsight, 20/20, all that jazz.

Here are some overpriced foods you should avoid when you're
eating out:

Eggs. Consider your standard issue
omelette. Everyone's favorite hangover cure is really
nothing more than a couple eggs tossed with cheap cheese and
slapped on a plate. So why should we be paying an arm and a leg
for one?
Treehugger.com listed the infamous $1,000 frittata served up
at the Parker Meridien hotel in Manhattan as one of the most
ridiculously overpriced restaurant items.

The site raised a good point about egg dishes: unless the
restaurant says the eggs are top quality, you can pretty much
assume they come from regular chicken farm and probably aren't
worth your dime. The Parker Meridien can get away with charging a
grand for regular old eggs only because it slaps super pricey
caviar on top.

Pasta. If you're slurping up fettuccine whenever
you go out, you're only doing the restaurant a favor. Starchy
dishes like pasta and rice can be bought in bulk and come at a
super low cost to restaurants, according to Forbes. So think twice before you drop 20 bucks on
that risotto and opt for beef dishes instead, which often cost at
least half the menu price to source and produce, the magazine
says.

Chicken. Chicken is one of the cheaper options
on the menu, but it costs way less to make yourself at
home. Even chefs will tell you this is a waste of your money
if you're looking for a good value at a restaurants. "I won't pay
$24 for half a chicken breast," a chef told Food Network Magazine. "I want something I
can't make for myself."

You should, too.

Pizza. Unless it's topped with
crazy-hard-to-find ingredients like truffles or lobster tail,
you're probably spending more on that 12-inch pie than you would
to make it yourself. Pizza Hut and Papa John's both ask about $10
for a large pie but it costs the pizza chains about $2.60 to make
them, according to the Daily Finance. Keep that in mind the next
time you rifle through your stack of take-out menus. You might be
better off going for a pricier pie if you want the best value for
your cash.

Booze. There's a reason restaurant hosts
encourage diners to hit up the bar if there's a lengthy wait for
a table. “Traditionally, a high portion of restaurants’
profits come from the bar," according to restaurant pricing firm
IntellaPrice. The group found that the
average price of alcohol jumped 3 percent in 2010, which
means you're paying more for the same beverages without knowing
it.

If a restaurant asks you pay a premium price for a cocktail made
with cheap liquor, you're probably better off going for a more
expensive option or choosing a trickier drink you wouldn't know
how to make yourself. I love a good G&T but because I make
them for myself all the time, I can't justify spending $12 on an
8-ounce version that's sure to be watered down.